Fire-starter.



E. F. LE COMPTE.

FIRE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1,2. 191B.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

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EDW P. LE COMPTE, 0F PARK CTY, UTAH.

FRE-ST Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application led February 12, 1918. Serial No. 216,710.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. Ln COMPTE, citizen of the United States, residing at Park City, in the county of Summit and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Starters, of which the following is a specitil cation.

My present invention has to do with the starting of fires in stoves and the like.

The general object of the invention is to provide a fire starting device possessed of the capacity of starting a coal fire without the employment of kindling wood, this being materially advantageous because of the scarcity and high price of kindling wood.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a tire starting device embodying means for supplying an ample volume of air under pressure to a tire with a view to promoting combustion, in combination with means for impregnating the air en 'route with a suitable hydrocarbon such as gasolene or kerosene in order to assure expeditious and thorough starting of the fire.

Another object is the provision of a fire starting device embodying electrical ignition means at the forward end of the device,

. in combination with means for supplying commingled air and hydrocarbon to said point, this in order to render it unnecessary or the operator to place his or her hand in the fire box of a stove or the like and also in order to render it unnecessary to employ kindling wood in the startin of the fire; the ignltion means being pre erably in the form of a resistance coil and being, therefore, well adapted to bring about the ignition of the paper or shavings employed especially when the same are supplied with the hydrocarbon and also adapted to assist in the firing of the coal.

A further object is the provision of a fire starting device that is susceptible of being convementl handled or manipulated and operated with but little effort to produce a lar e volume of air under pressure, and one em odying` means whereby its nozzle ortion may be adjusted independently o its body or major portion in order that the operator may start a tire at several points in succession in a fire box and thereby uickly bring about the tiring of coal t roughout the area of the fire box.

Other objects and points of practical advantage peculiar to my novel device will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specicationz in which:

F1gure l' is a perspective view of the starter showing the application.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section to more clearly show the igniter.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

Among other elementsmy novel fire startingI device comprises a combined body and fan-blower casing 1, made of suitable sheet metal for the sake of lightness and having air-induction openings 2 in its side walls. The said bodyl and casing 1 is provided with a forwardly-directed and tapered discharge trunk 3, and is preferably, though not necessarily, equipped with suitable legs 4, such fire is to be started.

The device also comprises a nozzle portion 5 arranged in front of and in spaced relation to the trunk 3 as shown; said nozzle portion'being formed of metal or `other material capable of resisting the action of fire. The said nozzle portion 5 is adapted to be inserted into a fire box in close proximity to and preferably with its forward end in shavings or paper placed below coal when the fire is laid; and it is joined to the forward end of the trunk through the medium of a flexible conduit section 6 which is preferably of rubber or analogous materia-1. It will be understood in this connection that the nozzle portion 5 is suciently long to preclude. the conduitsection 6 being injured by heat or fire; also, that the said conduit section 6 is calculated to permit of the nozzle portion 5 being swung relatively to the trunk 3 so that without movement of the major portion of the device, the nozzle portion 5 may be directed to different points in a fire box as occasion demands.

At 7 on the forward portion of the nozzle 5 is the electrical ignition means. This means in the present and preferred embodlment of my invention is a resistance coll, as illustrated, and is made heavy in order to withstand the usage to which appliances used about stoves and furnaces are ordinarily subjected. The said ignition means is connected through suitable wiring 8, which extends as shown from the rear end of the casing body l, with a terminal plug 9, designed to be placed in an electrical socket such as usually provided in residences so as to 'electrically connect the said ignition casing body 1 and the rear portion of the trunk 3 is a hydrocarbon reservoir 11 having a suitable closure 12 at its upper end. The said hydrocarbon reservoir is provided at its lower end with a minute discharge 13, preferably controlled by a valve 14, and arranged in communicationkwith the interior' of the rear portion. Thus when the valve .14 1s open .to a greater or less degree and a volume of air is being forced forwardly through the trunk 3 the said air will be ade-- quately impregnated with the hydrocarbon; the air operating by suction to take up the hydrocarbon and tocarry it to the discharge end f the nozzle 5. In this connection it A will be noticed that I prefer to provide the yso forward portion of the nozzle 5 with a plurality ofapertures 15 for the lateral discharge of the commingledgair and hydrocarbon, this being especially advantageous in the event of the forward end of the said nozzle 5 being clogged by shavings or paper.

Arranged 1n the casing body 1 and fixed to a ,transverse shaft 16,]'ournaled in said casing body isa fan-blower 17, and for the -purpose of rotating the said fan-blower at a high rate of speed and .with the expenditure of lbut little effort on the part of the operator I prefer to employ the following driving train, viz.: a pinion 18 fixed on the shaft 16, a large spur-gear 19 mounted on the casing body 1 and interrneshed with the pinion 18, a secondlpinion 20 intermeshed -withkand adaptedv t'o drive the gear 19 and 'also mounted on the casing body 1, a pinion 21 fixed to and rotatable with the pinion 20, and a large internally-toothed gear 22 suitably mounted on the casing body 1 and intermeshed with the pinion 21; said gear 22 being, by preference, equipped with a handle 23. Mani'festly when the operator ro tates the gear 22 the fan blower 17 will be rotated at a high rate of speed, and a great volume of'air under pressure will be forced through the trunk 3 and nozzle 5.

The practical operation of my novel device is as follows: f

A re is laid in a fire box with coal superimposed on an adequate quantity of shavings or paper or the like, and the nozzle 5 is inserted in the fire box to a point within the shavings or paper. 'The switch 10 is then manipulated to supply current to the ignition means, and the fan-blower is put in operation, whereupon air impregnated with hydrocarbon suchlas gasolene or kerosene will be supplied to the paper or shavings and the same will be lighted-by the ignition means and the fire caused to intensely burn. The supply of air commingled with hydrocarbon is maintained until the burning of the coal or other hard fuel is well established, and when necessary the current may be supplied to the ignition means 7 until the burning of the hard fuel is in progress, this because when the ignition means is in the preferred form of a resistance coil it alone will promote the burning of the hard fuel. It will also be understood from the foregoing that the nozzle 5 'and the ignition means 7 may be used to advantage when they are disposed under and in close proximity to a grate. f

I have specifically. described the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding 'of said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the' said speciic construction and relative arrangement of theI parts inasmuch as in the future practice of the invention such changes or modiications may be lmade as fairly fall withinr the scope of my appended claims. A

Having described my. invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, -isz l1. A re starter, com rising a rotary blower including a casing aving a trunk, a tubular nozzle attached to the trunk and provided near its free end with outlet apertures formed in the side wall thereof, a liquid hydrocarbon supply device leading into the trunk, and an electric resistance coil wound about the apertured end of the nozzle 'and disposed adjacent said apertures, the

coil serving to heat the free end of the nozzle and the carbureted air discharging through the apertures to ignite the` same.

2. fire starter, comprising `a rotary blower including a casing having a trunk, a tubular nozzle attached to the trunk and lprovided near its free end'withoutletaperthe casing and arranged above the trunk.

mme?? 13j and having an Outlet opening to discharge the liquid hydrocarbon by gravity into the trunk, a manually operated valve to control the passage of the liquid hydrocarbon -through the outlet opening, and an electric te resistance coil Wound upon the exterior of the apertured end of the nozzle and disposed adjacent to said apertures, the coil serving to heat the nozzle and the carbureted air discharging through said aper- 1 tures` to ignite the same.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD P. LE COMPTE. 

